Camera and film cartridge display setting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A camera and a cartridge indicator setting apparatus adapted to a film cartridge including an indicator operatively coupled to a film supply spool provided in the film cartridge. The camera and the cartridge indicator setting apparatus includes a storage device which stores information to be indicated by the indicator of the film cartridge; and a setting device for driving, in response to an operation for ejecting the film cartridge which has been loaded on the camera, the film supply spool of the film cartridge which has been stopped after completion of rewinding of a film, and for setting the indicator of the film cartridge in accordance with the information stored by the storage device.

This application is a division of copending application Ser. No.08/670,850, titled Camera and Film Cartridge Setting Apparatus, filedJun. 28, 1996.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a camera and a film cartridge displaysetting apparatus adapted to a film cartridge including a display meansfor displaying information as to whether a film is used or unused.

2. Description of the Related Art

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-114248 proposes a filmcartridge which has means for displaying film information as to whethera film is unused (unexposed) or used (exposed) when the film cartridgeis ejected from a camera. In addition, Japanese Unexamined PatentPublication No. 4-301829 proposes a film cartridge which has means forseparately displaying film information as to whether all frames of afilm are used for photographing (hereinafter, referred to as all-framesexposed) or part of the frames are used for photographing (hereinafter,referred to as partially exposed). The means for displaying the filminformation used in these film cartridges is operatively coupled to afilm supply spool of the cartridge. After completion of rewinding of thefilm of the camera, the film supply spool is rotated to a predeterminedrotation position following the rewinding operation, thereby setting adisplay of information in response to the predetermined rotationposition.

However, in the event that the cartridge is not ejected from the cameraafter completion of rewinding of the film, e.g., after setting of thedisplay of information, when vibration and shock are added to thecamera, the film supply spool rotates, and the display of information ischanged thereby. As a result, a state of the film different from thetrue state may be displayed, or the display may become unclear.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-349444 proposes a method ofclearly setting the display of the cartridge without being affected byvibration of the camera in which the film supply spool is rotated to apredetermined rotation position in mechanical association with theejection of the cartridge so as to set the display of information uponejection of the cartridge.

According to this method, however, only “all-frames exposed” is equallydisplayed even if the film is rewound in the “partially exposed” or“unexposed” state. As a result, the true state of the film may disagreewith the displayed information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided acamera or a cartridge indicator setting apparatus adapted to a filmcartridge including an indicator operatively coupled to a film supplyspool provided in the film cartridge. The camera or apparatus comprisesa storage device which stores information to be indicated by theindicator of the film cartridge; and a setting device for driving, inresponse to an operation for ejecting the film cartridge which has beenloaded, the film supply spool of the film cartridge which has beenstopped after completion of rewinding of a film, and for setting theindicator of the film cartridge in accordance with the informationstored by the storage device, whereby the indicator of the cartridge tobe ejected is always set correctly even if vibration and shock are addedto the film cartridge which has been loaded on the camera or apparatus.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda camera or a cartridge indicator setting apparatus adapted to a filmcartridge including an indicator operatively coupled to a film supplyspool provided in the film cartridge. The camera or apparatus comprisesa setting device for driving the film supply spool of the film cartridgeloaded to set the indicator of the film cartridge after rewinding of afilm; a determination device for determining whether it is necessary toreset the indicator of the film cartridge; and a control device forcausing, in response to an operation for ejecting the film cartridgewhich has been loaded, the setting device to reset the indicator of thefilm cartridge when the determination device determines that it isnecessary to reset the indicator, whereby the indicator of the cartridgeto be ejected is always set correctly even if vibration and shock areapplied to the film cartridge which has been loaded on the camera orapparatus, and whereby the cartridge can be promptly ejected.

Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view which illustrates a film cartridge to be used in afirst embodiment according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate displays of the film cartridge of FIG. 1 inaccordance with an exposure state of a film;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the film cartridge of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the film cartridge of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 illustrates a form of the bar code disk 5 in the film cartridgeof FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram which illustrates a circuit configuration of acamera according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7, consisting of FIGS. 7A and 7B is a flowchart of a controlcircuit 11 of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8A to 8D illustrate a relation between the display of the exposurestate of the film cartridge and the position of the bar code disk 5according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of steps for reading the exposure state;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of steps for setting the exposure state; and

FIG. 11, consisting of FIGS. 11A and 11B, is a flowchart of a controlcircuit 11 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specificallydescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a film cartridge to be used in an embodimentaccording to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there areprovided a film cartridge 1 and a film supply spool 2 of the filmcartridge 1. Display windows 3 a, 3 b, 3 c and 3 d display information(exposure state) of a film within the film cartridge 1. An index mark 2a which rotates integrally with the spool 2 within the film cartridge 1is displayed through any one of the display windows 3 a to 3 d inaccordance with a stop position of the spool 2, so that a user canrecognize the film information. In order to make the film informationrecognizable to the user, each of the display windows 3 a to 3 d areformed into different shapes.

FIG. 2A illustrates a case where the index mark 2 a is displayed throughthe display window 3 a, which shows that the film is in an “unexposed”state. Similarly, FIG. 2B illustrates a case where the index mark 2 a isdisplayed through the display window 3 b, which shows a “partiallyexposed” state. FIG. 2C illustrates a case where the index mark 2 a isdisplayed through the display window 3 c, which shows an “all-framesexposed” state. and FIG. 2D illustrates a case where the index mark 2 ais displayed through the display window 3 d, which shows a “developed”state of the film. FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the index mark 2 a isdisplayed through the display window 3 a, e.g., a case where the film isin the “unexposed” state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the film cartridge 1 of FIG. 1; and FIG.4 is a bottom view of the film cartridge 1 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, cutouts 4 a and 4 b are formed in two sections ofthe bottom surface of the film cartridge 1, and a bar code disc 5 whichintegrally actuates with the supply spool 2 is partially represented atthe cutouts 4 a and 4 b.

FIG. 5 illustrates a form of the bar code disk 5. On the bar code disk5, there are provided bright and dark bar codes covering substantiallyhalf thereof. Both of the bright and dark bar codes include wide andthin bars. These wide and thin bars are combined to record informationas to the film, such as a specified number of frames capable of beingused for photographing, ISO speed, type of the film, e.g., negative filmor positive film, and color film or black & white film. The bar codeinformation can be optically read from the cutouts 4 a and 4 b.

A substantially semicircular portion of the bar code disk 5 on which nobar code is provided is used for detecting a reference position whenreading the bar code information, or for positioning the supply spool 2when displaying an exposure state of the film by the index mark 2 a.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram which illustrates a circuit configuration of acamera according to this embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, there are provided a control circuit 11 whichconducts the entire operation of the camera composed of a microcomputerand the like having a register, RAM and ROM, an AE/AF control circuit 12which includes a distance-measuring circuit for measuring a distance toan object and a light-measuring circuit, and which opens and closes ashutter for controlling the exposure of the film in accordance with afocusing operation of a lens for photographing (not shown) and thebrightness of the object, and non-volatile read-only memory (EEPROM) 13which is used for writing adjusting data in a manufacturing step, andfor storing information and operating conditions of a film counterduring operation of the camera.

PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control circuits 14 and 17 generate a PWMsignal which equivalently controls motor current by a signal-on pulsewidth, and the duty ratio of the PWM signal can be changed by a commandfrom the control circuit 11. There are also provided motor drivingcircuits 15 and 18, a film transporting motor 16 for transporting andrewinding the film, and a cartridge motor 19 for ejecting the filmcartridge. The motor driving circuit 15 controls the driving of the filmtransporting motor 16 by the PWM signal from the control circuit 14. Themotor driving circuit 18 controls the driving of the cartridge motor 19by the PWM signal from the PWM control circuit 17. By varying the dutyratio of the PWM signal, operating speeds of the film transporting motor16 and the cartridge motor 19 can be changed. A photo reflector controlcircuit 20 actuates a photo reflector 21 to project infrared lights onthe turning bar code disk 5, and detects the reflected lights to comparea detection level with a suitable level, thereby detecting bar codesignals on the bar code disk 5 as binary signals of bright and dark. Aphoto reflector control circuit 22 also actuates a photo reflector 23 toperform similar operations as described above. The photo reflector 21detects bar code signals on the bar code disk 5 from the cutout 4 a, andthe photo reflector 23 detects bar code signals on the bar code disk 5from the cutout 4 b.

A release switch 24 starts a release operation of the camera when it ismanually turned on. A rewind switch 25 performs a rewinding operationwhen it is turned on. When a cartridge eject switch 26 is turned onafter completion of the rewinding operation of the film, the filmcartridge is ejected from the camera. A cartridge loading completiondetecting switch 27 is turned on when loading of the film cartridge intoa cartridge chamber is completed.

A photo reflector 29 detects perforations of the film. A photo reflectorcontrol circuit 28 actuates the photo reflector 29 to project infraredrays on the side end portions of the film, and detects the reflectedlights to compare a detection level with a suitable level, therebydetecting perforation signals as binary signals of bright and dark.

A magnetic head 31 performs recording to a magnetic material coated onthe surface of the film, and reads information recorded in the magneticmaterial. A magnetic head control circuit 30 controls the magnetic head31. The control circuit 11 actuates the magnetic head 31 through themagnetic head control circuit 30, and records information such as thetime (or the date) of photographing and photographic conditions at thesame time as when one frame of the film is wound-up and transported, sothat the information can be used when printing a photograph. The controlcircuit 11 is also used for detecting unexposed frames of the film whichhas frames partially used for photographing.

An operation of the camera having the circuit configuration shown inFIG. 6 will now be described with reference to a flowchart of thecontrol circuit shown in FIG. 7

The following steps (hereinafter, abbreviated as “S”) 100 to 113represent operations from the loading of the film cartridge to thecompletion of film loading operation.

(S100)

In S100, the cartridge loading completion detecting switch 27 is onstand by. Since loading of the film cartridge is not completed duringthe cartridge loading, the cartridge loading completion detecting switch27 is OFF, and S100 is repeated. Upon completion of loading of the filmcartridge, the cartridge loading completion detecting switch 27 isturned on, and the procedure advances to S101.

(S101)

When loading of the film cartridge is completed, the control circuit 11actuates the film transporting motor 16 in the direction of rewinding ofa film through the PWM control circuit 14 and the motor driving circuit15 in order to judge which exposure state of the film is displayed bythe film cartridge, and turns the bar code disk 5 of the film cartridge.Then, the procedure advances to S102.

(S102)

In S102, information about the exposure state of the film displayed bythe film cartridge is read out. This reading out is performed byactuating the photo reflectors 21 and 23 with the photo reflectorcontrol circuits 20 and 22 at the same time of the turning of the barcode disk 5 to check how the bar code signals on the bar code disk 5 areoutput from the photo reflectors in the initial turning condition of thebar code disk 5. As a result, it can be determined in which angularposition the bar code disk 5 has been stopped at the time of loading ofthe film cartridge. The details of the method for judging the angularposition will be described later. When reading out of the exposure stateof the film displayed by the film cartridge is completed, the procedureadvances to S103.

(S103)

In S103, the information of the exposure state of the film displayed bythe film cartridge, which is read out in S102, is written in the EEPROM13. This is because the information of the exposure state displayed onthe film cartridge cannot be judged unless the bar code disk 5 isturned. The information of the exposure state of the film displayed bythe film cartridge, once it is read, is stored in a non-volatile storagedevice so as to be accommodated after battery replacement due to thedrop in the battery voltage. Then, the procedure advances to S104.

(S104)

In S104, the bar code information on the bar code disk 5 is read anddecoded. The bar code information is read by the use of the photoreflector control circuits 20 and 22, and the photo reflectors 21 and23. A dark section covering half of the bar code disk 5 is detected, andthe bright and dark pattern is recognized as bar code information, whichstarts from a bright pattern corresponding to the bright signal whichappears immediately after the signal of the dark half. By decoding thebar code information, information such as the specified number of framescapable of being used for photographing, ISO speed, and the film typecan be obtained. Then, the procedure advances to S105.

(S105)

In S105, information such as the specified number of frames capable ofbeing used for photographing, ISO speed, and the film type, which aredecoded in S104, are written in the EEPROM 13. Unlike a display of theexposure state of the film, the information can be judged by reading thebar code information at any time after the cartridge is loaded. However,after the film is wound, the bar code information cannot be read freelyduring transportation of the film for the purpose of detecting the frameposition and the like. Thus, the information is stored in a non-volatilestorage device in consideration of the situation at the time of batteryreplacement. Then, the procedure advances to S106.

(S106)

In S106, it is judged whether the exposure state of the film displayedby the film cartridge, which is read in S102, is “all-frames exposed”,or “developed”. The film in the “all-frame exposed” state, or in the“developed” state cannot be used for photographing. Thus, when theloaded film cartridge displays such exposure states of the film,subsequent film loading operation and photographing operation are notperformed, and the procedure advances to S124 to stop energization forrewinding the film. When the film cartridge displays the “unexposed” or“partially exposed” state of the film, the procedure advances to S107.

(S107)

When the procedure advances up to S107, a film may be transported fromthe loaded film cartridge. Thus, energization for rewinding the film isperformed in S101 to S106. However, in S107, the rewinding energizationis stopped, and in order to transport the film from the film cartridge,the control circuit 11 rotates the film transporting motor 16 in thedirection of winding of the film through the PWM control circuit 14 andthe motor driving circuit 15. Then, the procedure advances to S108.

(S108)

In S108, it is judged whether the exposure state of the film displayedby the film cartridge, which is read in S102, is “partially exposed”. If“partially exposed”, the procedure advances to S111. if not, theexposure state of the film is “unexposed”. In this case, the procedureadvances to S109.

(S109)

If the exposure state of the film displayed by the loaded film cartridgeis judged to be “unexposed” in S108, the procedure advances to S109, andthe film is wound until the first frame thereof is set to a positionwhere photographing can be performed, while detecting perforations ofthe film by the photo reflector control circuit 28 and the photoreflector 29. Upon completion of winding of the film, energization inthe direction of winding of the film is stopped, and the procedureadvances to S110.

(S110)

In S110, the control circuit 11 sets a flag in the internal RAM thereofwhich represents that the exposure state of the film displayed by theloaded film cartridge is “unexposed”. Then, the procedure advances toS113.

(S111)

If the exposure state of the film displayed by the loaded film cartridgeis judged to be “partially exposed” in S108, the procedure advances toS111, and the film is wound until an unexposed frame thereof isdetected. The unexposed frame is detected by detecting the presence orabsence of a magnetic record recorded on the film surface by themagnetic head control circuit 30 and the magnetic head 31.

The magnetic head control circuit 30 and the magnetic head 31 recordvarious information in the film having the surface coated with amagnetic material at each frame.

Since such information is not recorded in an unexposed frame, anunexposed frame can be judged by detecting the presence or absence ofthe magnetic record.

When the film is wound until the first unexposed frame thereof is set tothe position where photographing can be performed, energization in thedirection of winding of the film is stopped, and the procedure advancesto S112.

(S112)

In S112, the control circuit 11 sets a flag in the internal RAM thereofwhich represents that the exposure state of the film displayed by thefilm loaded film cartridge is “partially exposed”. Then, the procedureadvances to S113.

(113)

After completion of winding the film, information such as the number offrames currently set and a flag representing the exposure state of thefilm is stored in the EEPROM 13. The operation for loading the film iscompleted by the above-mentioned operations, and the procedure advancesto S114 to S115 where a photographing operation and a rewindingoperation of the film are on stand by.

(S114)

In S114, it is judged whether or not the release switch 24 is turned on.If turned on, the procedure advances to S116. If not, the procedureadvances to S115.

(S115)

In S115, it is judged whether or not the rewind switch 25 is turned on.If turned on, the procedure advances to S122. If not, the procedurereturns to S114 to repeat the operations in S114 to S115.

(S116)

When the release switch 24 is actuated in S114, the procedure advancesto S116. S116 to S120 represent a sequence relating to a photographingoperation.

In S116, the control circuit 11 performs known photographing operationssuch as distance-measuring, metering, recharge of an electric flash,focusing, shutter control, and control of the electric flash, so as toexpose the film. Then, the procedure advances to S117.

(S117)

In S117, the control circuit 11 sets a flag in the internal RAM thereofwhich represents that the exposure state of the film displayed by thefilm cartridge is “partially exposed”, whereby the exposure state of thefilm is changed from “unexposed” to “partially exposed” even if oneframe is used for photographing. Then, the procedure advances to S118.

(S118)

In S118, one frame of the film is wound by the PWM control circuit 14,motor driving circuit 15 and film transporting motor 16, while detectingperforations of the film by the photo reflector control circuit 28 andphoto reflector 29. At this time, various information, such as the dateof photographing, whether or not the electric flash is used,magnification, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, the brightness ofscene to be photographed, back light or follow light, etc. are recordedon the surface of the film by the magnetic head 31 through the magnetichead control circuit 30. When the one-frame winding is completed, theprocedure advances to S119.

(S119)

In S119, it is judged whether or not the maximum number of framescapable of being used for photographing have been used for photographingby using the information about the specified number of frames capable ofbeing used for photographing of the loaded film, which is read in S104.

If all frames have been used, the procedure advances to S121. If not,the procedure advances to S120.

In order to detect that all of the frames have been used forphotographing, an index mark indicating the end of the film may bedetected during the winding of the film in S118, and tension of the filmproduced when it is transported may be judged.

(S120)

If the maximum number of frames capable of being used for photographinghave not been used for photographing, a counter provided within thecontrol circuit 11 is reset to the new frame number, and the framenumber information and the flag of the exposure state (always “partiallyexposed”) are written in EEPROM 13. Then, the procedure returns to S114or S115 so as to judge again whether or not the release switch 24 or therewind switch 25 is actuated.

(S121)

If the maximum number of frames capable of being used for photographingis judged to have been used for photographing in S119, the procedureadvances to S121. In S121, since all of the frames are used, the controlcircuit 11 sets a flag in the internal RAM thereof which represents thatthe exposure state of the film displayed by the loaded film cartridge is“all-frames exposed”. Then, the procedure advances to S122.

(S122)

When the maximum number of frames capable of being used forphotographing have been used for photographing, or the rewind switch isactuated to rewind the film in the course of photographing in S115, theprocedure advances to S122.

In S122, a flag representing the rewinding state and a flag representingthe exposure state of the film are stored in the EEPROM 13. This isbecause that, in order to restart the rewinding operation when a powersource is reset in the course of the rewinding operation, it isnecessary to store information of halfway rewinding of the film in anonvolatile storage medium. Then, the procedure advances to S123.

(S123)

In S123, the film is rewound. The control circuit 11 performs the filmrewinding by rotating the film transporting motor 16 in the direction ofrewinding of the film through the PWM control circuit 14 and the motordriving circuit 15.

After a predetermined length of time expires since the photo reflector29 has ceased to detect the film through the photo reflector controlcircuit 28, film rewinding is completed. When film rewinding iscompleted, the procedure advances to S124.

As regards detection of the completion of film rewinding, the fact thatthe film is rewound in the film cartridge may be detected by an input ofa signal from an input means (not shown) in the judgement of the user.

(S124)

When film rewinding is completed, or when the film cartridge displayingthe “all frames exposed” or “developed” state of the film is loaded,S124 is performed.

In S124, energization in the direction of rewinding of the film issuspended to stop the driving of the film transporting motor 16. Then,the procedure advances to S125.

(S125)

In S125, it is judged whether or not the cartridge eject switch 26 isturned on. When the cartridge eject switch is turned off, the procedurein S125 is repeated until the cartridge eject switch is turned on. Whenthe cartridge eject switch 26 is turned on, the procedure advances toS126.

(S126)

In S126, a display of the exposure state of the film is set. The detailsof this operation will be described later. After the exposure state ofthe film is set, the procedure advances to S127.

(S127)

In S127, the cartridge motor 19 is driven in the direction of ejectingof the cartridge through the PWM control circuit 17 and the motordriving circuit 18, whereby the cartridge 1 is ejected from the camera.When the cartridge is ejected, the steps of operations are completed.

By the operations as described above, if the film is rewound with theunexposed film set and never used for photographing, the display of theexposure state of the cartridge is set to “unexposed”.

When a partially exposed film is set, or the unexposed film is set andused for photographing even one time, and when the film is rewoundbefore the maximum number of frames capable of being used forphotographing are used for photographing, the display of the exposurestate of the cartridge is set to “partially exposed”.

When the maximum number of the frames capable of being used forphotographing have been used for photographing, the display of theexposure state of the cartridge is set to “all-frames exposed”.

The reading operation of the information of the exposure state of thefilm displayed by the film cartridge, which is performed in S102 willnow be described. FIGS. 8A to 8D illustrate examples of a relationbetween the display of the exposure state of the film cartridge and theposition of the bar code disk 5. For easy understanding, it isillustrated in FIGS. 8A to 8D so that the whole bar code disk isrepresented. As previously described, since the index mark 2 a fordisplaying outwardly the exposure state of the film and the bar codedisk 5 rotate integrally with the film supply spool 2, the exposurestate displayed by the index mark 2 a corresponds to the stop positionof the bar code disk 5.

FIG. 8A illustrates the position of the bar code disk 5 when the indexmark 2 a indicates the “unexposed” state of the film; FIG. 8Billustrates the position of the bar code disk 5 when the index mark 2 aindicates the “partially exposed” state of the film; FIG. 8C illustratesthe position of the bar code disk 5 when the index mark 2 a indicatesthe “all-frames exposed” state of the film; and FIG. 8D indicates theposition of the bar code disk 5 when the index mark 2 a indicates the“developed” state of the film.

An arrow in FIG. 8A represents a rewind direction of the film. The barcode disk 5 is turned in the direction of the arrow when the exposureinformation is read and the display of the exposure state is set. Deltasymbols PR1 and PR2 pointing to the cutouts 4 a and 4 b shown in brokenlines represent the positions where the photo reflectors 21 and 22 readthe bar code, respectively.

A bright edge 5 a which appears immediately after the dark section ofthe bar code disk 5 covering the half thereof is the reference edge forreading the bar code information.

When the display of the exposure state corresponds to the position ofthe bar code disk as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the exposure statedisplayed by the film cartridge is judged as follows.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the control circuit 11 which illustrates theoperation of reading of the exposure state of the film displayed by thefilm cartridge, which is performed in the above S102.

Before the steps are is performed, energization in the direction ofrewinding of the film is performed in S101.

(S200)

When the reading of the exposure information is started, S200 isperformed in the first place. In S200, edge counters for counting brightand dark edges (including both of bright to dark, and dark to bright) onthe bar code disk 5 are reset to “0”. The edge counters are provided asevent counters which are stored in RAM of the control circuit 11, orcontained in the control circuit 11 as peripheral circuits. The edgecounters are provided separately for the photo reflector 21 (PR1 in FIG.9) and for the photo reflector 23 (PR2 in FIG. 9). After the edgecounters are reset, the procedure advances to S201.

(S201)

In S201, the control circuit 11 actuates the photo reflector controlcircuits 20 and 22, and photo reflectors 21 and 23 to start detection ofthe bar code edges of the bar code disk 5. Every time the photoreflectors count the bar code edges, the edge counters are incrementedby 1, and the procedure advances to S202.

(S202)

In S202, it is judged whether or not the edge counter of the photoreflector 23 has counted “1” while counting bar code edges. If not, thestep S202 is repeated while continuing a counting of the bar code edges.If so, the procedure advances to S203.

(S203)

In S203, it is judged whether or not the number of edges counted by theedge counter of the photo reflector 21 when the edge counter of thephoto reflector has counted “1” is larger than a predetermined number a.If larger than a, the exposure state of the film is judged as“unexposed”, and the procedure advances to S204. If not, the procedureadvances to S205. The predetermined number a is 8 to 9 in the case ofthe bar code disk 5 shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D.

(S204)

In S204, since the exposure state of the film is judged as “unexposed”,a flag representing the exposure state of the film is set to “unexposed”to end the reading of the exposure information.

(S205)

In S205, it is checked whether or not the photo reflector 21 detects thereference edge 5 a which appears immediately after the dark sectioncovering substantially half of the bar code disk 5. If the referenceedge 5 a is detected, the procedure advances to S206. If not detected,the step S205 is repeated until the reference edge 5 a is detected.

The reference edge 5 a is detected by the following methods: The brightedge which appears immediately after the dark edge detected during theperiod of time longer than the predetermined time is recognized as thereference edge. It is determined how many edges are counted by the photoreflector 23 while the photo reflector 21 detects the dark to brightedge, and the dark to bright edge is recognized as the reference edge ifmore than the predetermined number of edges are counted.

(S206)

In S206, it is determined how many edges are counted by the edge counterof the photo reflector 23 until the reference edge 5 a is detected bythe photo reflector 21 from the start of energization for rewinding thefilm. If the number of edges counted by the edge counter of the photoreflector 23 exceeds a predetermined number b, the exposure state of thefilm is judged as “partially exposed”, and the procedure advances toS207. If not, the procedure advances to S208. The predetermined number bis 12 to 13 in the case of the bar code disk 5 a shown in FIGS. 8A to8D.

(S207)

In S207, since the exposure state of the film is judged as “partiallyexposed”, a flag representing the exposure state of the film is set to“partially exposed” to end the reading of the exposure information.

(S208)

In S208, it is checked whether the number of edges counted by the edgecounter of the photo reflector 23 until the reference edge 5 a isdetected after the start of the rewinding energization exceeds apredetermined number c. If exceeded, the exposure state of the film isjudged as “all-frames exposed”, and the procedure advances to S210. Ifnot, the exposure state of the film is judges as “developed”, and theprocedure advances to S209. The predetermined number b is larger thanthe predetermined number c. The predetermined number c is 7 to 8 in thecase of the bar code disk 5 shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D.

(S209)

In S209, since the exposure state of the film is judged as “developed”,a flag representing the exposure state of the film is set to “developed”to end the reading of the exposure information.

(S210)

In S210, since the exposure state of the film is judged as “all-framesexposed”, a flag representing the exposure state of the film is set to“all-frames exposed” to end the reading of the exposure information.

A setting of the display of the exposure state of the film cartridgeperformed in the above S126 will now be described. In order to displaythe exposure state, the bar code disk 5 may be stopped at each positionshown in FIGS. 8A to 8D in accordance with each exposure state of thefilm, i.e., “unexposed”, “partially exposed”, “all-frames exposed” and“developed”.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the control circuit 11 which illustrates theoperation of setting the exposure state of the film displayed by thefilm cartridge, which is performed in the above S126.

(S300)

In S300, the film transporting motor 16 is driven in the direction ofrewinding of the film, and the procedure advances to S301.

(S301)

In S301, the control circuit 11 actuates photo reflector controlcircuits 20 and 22, and the photo reflector 21 (PR1 in FIG. 10) and 23(PR2 in FIG. 10) to start detection of the bar code edges of the barcode disk 5. Every time the photo reflectors count the bar code edges,the edge counters are incremented by 1, and the procedure advances toS302.

(S302)

In S302, it is checked whether or not the photo reflector 21 detects thereference edge 5 a which appears immediately after the dark sectioncovering substantially half of the bar code disk 5. If the referenceedge 5 a is detected, the procedure advances to S303. If not detected,the step S302 is repeated until the reference edge 5 a is detected. Thereference edge 5 a is detected by the same methods as those described inS205.

(S303)

In S303, the edge counter for the photo reflector 21 is reset to 0, andthe procedure advances to S304.

(S304)

In S304, the control circuit 11 determines whether the exposure state ofthe film to be displayed is “unexposed” with reference to the flag setin the internal RAM thereof. If “unexposed” is set, the procedureadvances to S312. If not, the procedure advances to S305.

(S305)

In S305, the control circuit 11 determines whether the exposure state ofthe film to be displayed is “partially exposed” with reference to theflag set in the internal RAM thereof. If “partially exposed” is set, theprocedure advances to S311. If not, the procedure advances to S306.

(S306)

In S306, it is checked whether or not the photo reflector 23 detects thereference edge 5 a which appears immediately after the dark sectioncovering substantially half of the bar code disk 5. If the referenceedge 5 a is detected, the procedure advances to S307. If not detected,the step S306 is repeated until the reference edge 5 a is detected. Thereference edge 5 a is detected by the same methods as those described inS205 in which the reference edge is detected by the photo reflector 21.

(S307)

In S307, the edge counter for the photo reflector 23 is reset to 0, andthe procedure advances to S308.

(S308)

In S308, the control circuit 11 determines whether the exposure state ofthe film to be displayed is “all-frames exposed” with reference to theflag set in the internal RAM thereof. If “all-frames exposed” is set,the procedure advances to S313. If not, the display of the exposurestate is set to “developed”. Thus, procedure advances to S309.

(S309)

In S309, the display of the exposure state is set to “developed”, and itis checked whether the number of edges counted by the edge counter ofthe photo reflector 23 reaches the predetermined number g. If the countreaches the predetermined number g, the procedure advances to S310. Ifnot, S309 is repeated until the number of edges counted by the edgecounter reaches the predetermined number g. The predetermined number gis 9 in the case of the bar code disk 5 shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D.

(S310)

When the procedure has advanced to S310, the bar code disk 5 has reacheda predetermined position for displaying the exposure state. Thus, thefilm transporting motor 16 is stopped to end the setting of the displayof the exposure state.

(S311)

In S311, the display of the exposure state is set to “partiallyexposed”, and it is checked whether the number of edges counted by theedge counter of the photo reflector 21 has reached the predeterminednumber e. If the count reaches the predetermined number e, the procedureadvances to S310. If not, S311 is repeated until the number of edgescounted by the edge counter reaches the predetermined number e. Thepredetermined number e is 14 in the case of the bar code disk 5 shown inFIGS. 8A to 8D.

(S312)

In S312, the display of the exposure state is set to “unexposed”, and itis checked whether the number of edges counted by the edge counter ofthe photo reflector 21 has reached the predetermined number d. If thecount reaches the predetermined number d, the procedure advances toS310. If not, the step S312 is repeated until the number of the edgescounted by the edge counter reaches the predetermined number e. Thepredetermined number e is 4 in the case of the bar code disk 5 shown inFIGS. 8A to 8D.

(S313)

In S313, the display of the exposure state is set to “all-framesexposed”, and it is checked whether the number of edges counted by theedge counter of the photo reflector 23 has reached the predeterminednumber f. If the count reaches the predetermined number f, the procedureadvances to S310. If not, the step S313 is repeated until the number ofthe edges counted by the edge counter reaches the predetermined numberf. The predetermined number f is 4 in the case of the bar code disk 5shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the display of theexposure state of the film is set immediately before the ejection of thefilm cartridge. Thus, even if shock and vibration are applied to thefilm cartridge between the completion of the film rewinding and theejection of the film cartridge, it does not affect the display of theexposure state of the film, thus causing no shifts or errors of thedisplay.

According to this embodiment, when a film cartridge, which displays the“partially exposed” state of the film, is loaded, the film is wounduntil an unexposed frame is detected. However, when information as towhether or not the photographing is performed is magnetically recordedin the film, it is likely that an inexpensive camera does not include acircuit for reading such information recorded in the film.

When the film cartridge which displays the “partially exposed” state ofthe film, is loaded, such an inexpensive camera can identify that thefilm is in the “partially exposed” state, but can not detect theposition of the unexposed frame, so that the film is not wound to theposition of the unexposed frame to prevent double exposure of the filmwhich is already used for photographing.

Therefore, in such an inexpensive camera, when the film cartridge, whichdisplays the “partially exposed” state of the film, is loaded, the filmcartridge may be ejected by adjusting the index mark 2 a to the positionshowing the “all-frames exposed” state of the film without loading thefilm. In addition, when a film which has frames partially used forphotographing is wound, the display of the film cartridge may be set to“all-frames exposed”.

Further, when a film cartridge, which displays the “developed” state ofthe film, is loaded, the camera may be handled in the same manner asthat of the film cartridge which displays the “all-frames exposed” stateof the film. In this case, the index mark set on the camera side showsthe positions merely “unexposed” and “all-frames exposed” state of thefilm.

According to the first embodiment as described above, the display of theexposure state of the film is always set after the actuation of thecartridge eject switch 24. It is common that the film cartridge isejected immediately after the completion of rewinding of the film. Inthe first embodiment, however, even if the film cartridge is to beejected, the film transporting motor 16 is driven in the direction ofrewinding of the film to set the display of the exposure state after thefilm rewinding is completed and the motor 16 is stopped. Therefore, ittakes a long period of time from the actuation of the cartridge ejectswitch 24 to the actual ejection of the cartridge.

A second embodiment described below will overcome the above-describedpoint.

Since the circuit configuration of this embodiment is same as that inthe first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, it is quoted in this embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the control circuit 11 of FIG. 6 according tothis embodiment, and operations of this embodiment will be describedwith reference to the flowchart.

Since the operations of S400 to S423 shown in FIG. 11 are the same asthose of the S100 to S123 shown in FIG. 7 (the last two digits in thesteps S400 to S423 in FIG. 11 correspond to those of the S100 to S123 inFIG. 7), only the differences between the operations of S100 to S123 andthe S400 to S423 will be described, and detailed explanation thereof hasbeen omitted.

The operations in S400 to S423 of the second embodiment differ fromthose of in S100 to S123 of the first embodiment in that the operationof S424 which is performed when the film cartridge displaying the“all-frames exposed” or “developed” state of the film is loaded in S406does not correspond to that of S124 in FIG. 7, and that the filmtransporting motor 16 is not stopped in S423 even if the completion ofrewinding of the film is detected.

The operations of S424 and afterward will now be described.

(S424)

When the rewinding of the film (S423) is completed, or when the filmcartridge displaying the “all-frame exposed” or “developed” state of thefilm is loaded (S406), S424 is performed. The display of the exposurestate of the film is initially set in S424. This operation is differentfrom that of the first embodiment. Since the film transporting motor 16is left driven in the direction of rewinding of the film, it is notnecessary to drive the motor 16 again. Since the operations for settingthe display of the exposure state of the film are the same as those ofdescribed in S300 to S313 of the first embodiment, the explanationthereof has been omitted. When the setting of the display of theexposure state of the film is completed, the procedure advances to S425.

(S425)

In S425, a timer provided in the control circuit 11 is started, and theprocedure advances to S426.

(S426)

In S426, it is judged whether or not the cartridge eject switch 26 isturned on. When the cartridge eject switch is turned off, the procedurein S426 is repeated until the cartridge eject switch is turned on. Whenthe cartridge eject switch 26 is turned on, the procedure advances toS427.

(S427)

In S427, the timer started in S425 determines whether or not the timeelapsed from the setting of the display of the exposure state of thefilm in S424 to the actuation of the cartridge eject switch 26 forejecting the cartridge is longer than a predetermined time. Thepredetermined time is measured, for example, in several minutes. If theelapsed time is within the predetermined time, it is shorter than thelength of time that the display of the exposure state of the film set inS424 is shifted so that the exposure state cannot be discriminated, evenif shock is not likely to be added after rewinding of the film, orvibration is added. If the timer determines the elapsed time to belonger than the predetermined time, the procedure advances to S428. Ifthe timer determines the elapsed time to be within the predeterminedtime, the procedure advances to S429 without passing the operation ofS428.

(S428)

In S428, the display of the exposure state of the film is set again inthe same manner as that of S424. Since the operations for setting thedisplay of the exposure state of the film is also the same as those ofdescribed in S300 to S313 of the first embodiment, the explanationthereof has been omitted. After the operation of S428 is completed, theprocedure advances to S429.

(S429)

In S429, the control circuit 11 actuates the cartridge motor 19 in thedirection of ejecting of the cartridge through the PWM control circuit17 and the motor driving circuit 18 to eject the cartridge 1 from thecamera. When the cartridge is ejected, the steps of operation arecompleted.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the cartridge isejected immediately after the completion of the rewinding of the film,the display of the exposure state of the film immediately before theejection of the cartridge is not set again. Thus, the cartridge isejected quickly after the actuation of the cartridge eject switch 26.

In addition, when the camera is left in a state where the rewinding ofthe film is completed, even if the display of the exposure state of thefilm is shifted due to vibration and shock, the display of the exposurestate of the film is set again upon ejection of the cartridge toeliminate shifts and errors of the display. Therefore, an impact uponleaving the camera due to vibration and shock has no effect.

The individual components shown in schematic or block form in thedrawings are all well-known in the camera arts and their specificconstruction and operation are not critical to the operation or bestmode for carrying out the invention.

While the present invention has been described with respect to what ispresently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures and functions.

For example, according to the embodiments as described above, thedisplay of the film cartridge set in S126 and S424 or S428 is theinformation of the usage condition of the film. However, a case can beapplied to the present invention where information other than theservice condition of the film is set. In addition, according to theembodiments as described above, the display of the film cartridge is setin response to the actuation of the cartridge eject switch 26. However,any operation can be applied to the present invention so long as it isthe operation for ejecting the cartridge, such as an operation foropening a cover of the cartridge chamber.

Further, the display of the film cartridge may be automatically reset atpredetermined times between the S424 and S428 of the control circuit 11.In this case, the time elapsed after the last reset of the display ofthe film cartridge may be recognized as the elapsed time S427 of thecontrol circuit 11.

Still further, according to the second embodiment as described above,whether or not it is necessary to reset the display of the filmcartridge is judged (judgement of a shift of the display of the filmcartridge) on the basis of the time elapsed after setting of the displayof the film cartridge. However, any judgement method can be applied tothe present invention. For example, the necessity of resetting of thedisplay of the film cartridge may be judged on the basis of detectionresults of a sensor which can detect action of vibration and shock.

A cartridge of a form other than that described in the aboveembodiments, such as a cartridge having an image recording medium otherthan the film and further, other types of cartridges and a loadingsubstance other than the cartridge, such as a battery, are applicable tothe present invention.

In addition, software configuration and hardware configuration in theabove embodiments may be suitably replaced.

Further, according to the present invention, each of the embodiments asdescribed above and modifications thereof, or technical elements thereofmay be combined, if needed.

Still further, the present invention is applicable to various types ofcameras, such as a single-lens reflex camera, a lens shutter camera, avideo camera and the like. The present invention is also applicable tooptical instruments and other apparatuses other than the cameras, andfurther, to an apparatus to be applied to those of cameras, opticalinstruments and other apparatuses or components thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A camera adapted to use a film cartridgeincluding an indicator operatively coupled to a film supply spoolprovided in the film cartridge, comprising: a drive device that drivesthe film supply spool of a film cartridge loaded in the camera; anejection device that ejects a film cartridge loaded in the camera; asetting device that sets the indicator of a film cartridge loaded in thecamera by driving the film supply spool of the film cartridge, wheresaid setting device performs a first setting operation for setting theindicator of the film cartridge in response to completion of a rewindoperation of the film cartridge, and performs a second setting operationfor again setting the indicator of the film cartridge, previously set ina first setting operation; a determination device that determineswhether a second setting operation is necessary; and a control devicethat controls said setting device so as to perform a second settingoperation only when said determination device determines that a secondsetting operation is necessary.
 2. A camera according to claim 1,wherein said control device controls said setting device so as not toperform a second setting operation when said determination devicedetermines that a second setting operation is unnecessary.
 3. A cameraaccording to claim 1, wherein said determination device comprises atimer, and said determination device determines that a second settingoperation is necessary when a period of time counted by said timer aftersaid setting device performs a first setting operation equals apredetermined period of time.
 4. A camera according to claim 3, whereinsaid determination device determines that a second setting operation isnot necessary when the period of time counted by said timer is less thanthe predetermined period of time.
 5. A camera according to claim 1,further comprising an rewind switch, wherein said driving device startsa rewind operation of a film cartridge loaded in the camera in responseto operation of said rewind switch.
 6. A camera according to claim 1,further comprising an ejection switch, wherein said ejection devicestarts an ejection operation of a film cartridge loaded in the camera,in response to operation of said rewind switch.
 7. A camera according toclaim 1, wherein said setting device sets the indicator of the filmcartridge in accordance with a usage condition of a film of the filmcartridge.
 8. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said setting devicecomprises a photoreflector.
 9. A camera adapted to use a film cartridgeincluding an indicator, comprising: a rewind device that rewinds a filmof a film cartridge loaded in the camera; an ejection device that ejectsa film cartridge loaded in the camera; a setting device that sets theindicator of a film cartridge loaded in the camera, where said settingdevice performs a first setting operation for setting the indicator ofthe film cartridge in response to a rewind operation of said rewinddevice, and performs a second setting operation for again setting theindicator of the film cartridge, previously set in a first settingoperation, in response to an ejection operation of said ejection device;a determination device that determines whether a second settingoperation is necessary; and a control device that controls said settingdevice so as to perform a second setting operation only when saiddetermination device determines that a second setting operation isnecessary.
 10. A cartridge indicator setting apparatus adapted to use afilm cartridge including an indicator operatively coupled to a filmsupply spool provided in the film cartridge, comprising: a drive devicethat drives the film supply spool of a film cartridge loaded in thesetting apparatus; an ejection device that ejects a film cartridgeloaded in the setting apparatus; a setting device that sets theindicator of a film cartridge loaded in the cartridge indicator settingapparatus by driving the film supply spool of the film cartridge, wheresaid setting device performs a first setting operation for setting theindicator of the film cartridge in response to completion of a rewindoperation of the film cartridge, and performs a second setting operationfor again setting the indicator of the film cartridge, previously set ina first setting operation, in response to an ejection operation of saidejection device; a determination device that determines whether a secondsetting operation is necessary; and a control device that controls saidsetting device so as to perform a second setting operation only whensaid determination device determines that a second setting operation isnecessary.
 11. A cartridge indicator setting apparatus according toclaim 10, wherein said control device controls said setting device so asnot to perform a second setting operation when said determination devicedetermines that a second setting operation is unnecessary.
 12. Acartridge indicator setting apparatus according to claim 10, whereinsaid determination device comprises a timer, and said determinationdevice determines that a second setting operation is necessary when aperiod of time counted by said timer after said setting device performsa first setting operation equals a predetermined period of time.
 13. Acartridge indicator setting apparatus according to claim 12, whereinsaid determination device determines that a second setting operation isnot necessary when the period of time counted by said timer is less thanthe predetermined period of time.
 14. A cartridge indicator settingapparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an rewind switch,wherein said driving device starts a rewind operation of a filmcartridge loaded in the cartridge indicator setting apparatus inresponse to operation of said rewind switch.
 15. A cartridge indicatorsetting apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an ejectionswitch, wherein said ejection device starts an ejection operation of afilm cartridge loaded in the cartridge indicator setting apparatus, inresponse to operation of said rewind switch.
 16. A cartridge indicatorsetting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said setting devicesets the indicator of the film cartridge in accordance with a usagecondition of a film of the film cartridge.
 17. A cartridge indicatorsetting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said setting devicecomprises a photoreflector.
 18. A cartridge indicator setting apparatusadapted to use a film cartridge including an indicator, comprising: adrive device that rewinds a film of a film cartridge loaded in thesetting apparatus; an ejection device that ejects a film cartridgeloaded in the setting apparatus; a setting device that sets theindicator of a film cartridge loaded in the cartridge indicator settingapparatus, where said setting device performs a first setting operationfor setting the indicator of the film cartridge in response to a rewindoperation of said rewind device, and performs a second setting operationfor again setting the indicator of the film cartridge, previously set ina first setting operation, in response to an ejection operation of saidejection device; a determination device that determines whether a secondsetting operation is necessary; and a control device that controls saidsetting device so as to perform a second setting operation only whensaid determination device determines that a second setting operation isnecessary.
 19. A camera adapted to use a film cartridge including anindicator operatively coupled to a film supply spool provided in thefilm cartridge, comprising: a drive device that drives the film supplyspool of a film cartridge loaded in the camera; an ejection device thatejects a film cartridge loaded in the camera; a detection device thatdetects a state of the indicator operatively coupled to the film supplyspool of a film cartridge loaded in the camera; and a control devicethat controls operation of said drive device, said ejection device andsaid detection device, wherein said control device controls said drivedevice to drive the film supply spool of a film cartridge loaded in thecamera so as to rewind the film cartridge, then controls said drivedevice and said detection device so as to drive the film supply spool ofthe film cartridge and set the indicator of the film cartridge, andthen, in response to an operation for starting an ejection operation ofthe film cartridge, determines whether a reset operation of the index ofthe film cartridge is necessary and, if so, controls said drive deviceand said detection device so as to drive the film supply spool of thefilm cartridge and reset the indicator of the film cartridge.
 20. Acamera according to claim 19, wherein, if, in response to the operationfor starting an ejection operation said control device determines that areset operation of the indicator is not necessary, said control devicecontrols said drive device and said detection device so as not to resetthe indicator of the film cartridge.
 21. A camera according to claim 19,wherein said control device comprises a timer, and said control devicedetermines that a reset operation of the indicator is necessary when thecontrol device determines that a predetermined time period has elapsedsince the indicator of the film cartridge was set.
 22. A cameraaccording to claim 21, wherein said control device determines that areset operation of the indicator is not necessary when the predeterminedtime period has not elapsed since the indicator of the film cartridgewas set.
 23. A camera according to claim 19, further comprising a rewindswitch, wherein said control device controls the drive device to start arewind operation of the film cartridge in response to operation of therewind switch.
 24. A camera according to claim 19, further comprising anejection switch, wherein said control device controls said ejectiondevice so as to start an ejection operation in response to operation ofsaid ejection switch.
 25. A camera according to claim 19, wherein saidcontrol device controls said drive device and said detection device soas to drive the film supply spool of the cartridge loaded in the cameraand set the indicator of the film cartridge in a state that indicates ausage condition of the film of the film cartridge.
 26. A cameraaccording to claim 19, wherein said detection device comprises aphotoreflector.
 27. A camera adapted to use a film cartridge includingan indicator, comprising: a drive device that rewinds a film of a filmcartridge loaded in the camera; an ejection device that ejects a filmcartridge loaded in the camera; a detection device that detects a stateof the indicator of a film cartridge loaded in the camera; and a controldevice that controls operation of said drive device, said ejectiondevice and said detection device, wherein said control device controlssaid drive device so as to rewind the film in a film cartridge loaded inthe camera, then controls said detection device and sets the indicatorof the film cartridge, and then, in response to an operation forstarting an ejection operation of the film cartridge, determines whethera reset operation of the indicator of the film cartridge is necessaryand, if so, controls said detection device and resets the indicator ofthe film cartridge.
 28. A cartridge indicator setting apparatus adaptedto use a film cartridge including an indicator operatively coupled to afilm supply spool provided in the film cartridge, comprising: a drivedevice that drives the film supply spool of a film cartridge loaded inthe setting apparatus; an ejection device that ejects a film cartridgeloaded in the setting apparatus; a detection device that detects a stateof the indicator coupled to the film supply spool of a film cartridgeloaded in the setting apparatus; and a control device that controlsoperation of said drive device, said ejection device and said detectiondevice, wherein said control device controls said drive device to drivethe film supply spool of a film cartridge loaded in the camera so as torewind the film cartridge, then controls said drive device and saiddetection device so as to drive the film supply spool of the filmcartridge and set the indicator of the film cartridge, and then, inresponse to an operation for starting an ejection operation of the filmcartridge, determines whether a reset operation of the indicator of thefilm cartridge is necessary and, if so, controls said drive device andsaid detection device so as to drive the film supply spool of the filmcartridge and reset the indicator of the film cartridge.
 29. A cartridgeindicator setting apparatus according to claim 28, wherein, if, inresponse to the operation for starting an ejection operation saidcontrol device determines that a reset operation of the indicator is notnecessary, said control device controls said drive device and saiddetection device so as not to reset the indicator of the film cartridge.30. A cartridge indicator setting apparatus according to claim 28,wherein said control device comprises a timer, and said control devicedetermines that a reset operation of the indicator is necessary when thecontrol determines that a predetermined time period has elapsed sincethe indicator of the film cartridge was set.
 31. A cartridge indicatorsetting apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said control devicedetermines that a reset operation of the indicator is not necessary whenthe predetermined time period has not elapsed since the indicator of thefilm cartridge was set.
 32. A cartridge indicator setting apparatusaccording to claim 28, further comprising a rewind switch, wherein saidcontrol device controls the drive device to start a rewind operation ofthe film cartridge in response to operation of the rewind switch.
 33. Acartridge indicator setting apparatus according to claim 28, furthercomprising an ejection switch, wherein said control device controls saidejection device to start an ejection operation in response to operationof said ejection switch.
 34. A cartridge indicator setting apparatusaccording to claim 28, wherein said control device controls said drivedevice and said detection device so as to drive the film supply spool ofthe cartridge loaded in the setting apparatus and set the indicator ofthe film cartridge in a state that indicates a usage condition of a filmof the film cartridge.
 35. A cartridge indicator setting apparatusaccording to claim 28, wherein said detection device comprises aphotoreflector.
 36. A cartridge indicator setting apparatus adapted touse a film cartridge including an indicator, comprising: a drive devicethat rewinds a film of a film cartridge loaded in the setting apparatus;an ejection device that ejects a film cartridge loaded in the settingapparatus; a detection device that detects a state of the indicator of afilm cartridge loaded in the setting apparatus; and a control devicethat controls operation of said drive device, said ejection device andsaid detection device, wherein said control device controls said drivedevice so as to rewind the film in a film cartridge loaded in thesetting apparatus, then controls said detection device and sets theindicator of the film cartridge, and then, in response to an operationfor starting an ejection operation of the film cartridge, determineswhether a reset operation of the indicator of the film cartridge isnecessary and, if so, controls said detection device and resets theindicator of the film cartridge.